June 2018

Friday, June 15, 2018

Martha's Vineyard became one of our favorite places when we landed here by chance in June 2009. It is an island just south of Cape Cod in Massachusetts with a land area of 100 square miles making it the 58th largest island in the U.S. and the third-largest on the East Coast after Long Island and Mount Desert Island in Maine.

There are six towns on Martha's Vineyard and we touched each one the very first day (by car):

Picturesque Edgartown, in the East, which includes the infamous Chappaquiddick (of Ted Kennedy fame) and Katama, is the island's largest town, and is known for its rich whaling history.

Oak Bluffs, where we always stay, includes the East Chop peninsula. Its known for its gingerbread cottages, open harbor, and bustling Circuit Avenue.

Tisbury, in the North, includes the main village of Vineyard Haven, the West Chop peninsula, and is the island's primary port of entry for people and cargo.

West Tisbury is the island's agricultural center.

Chilmark, in the West, has the hilliest terrain, is very rural, and includes the quaint fishing village of Menemsha.

Aquinnah, is the last stop of the East wind on the island, home of the Wampanoag Indian tribe, the beautiful clay cliffs, and "Gay Head" light.

Here are a few trivia highlights about Martha's Vineyard that I didn't know:

The first native American graduates from Harvard came from Martha’s Vineyard.

Three of Spielberg’s "Jaws" movies were filmed on Martha's Vineyard.

John Belushi is buried in Abel's Hill Cemetery in Chilmark on MV.

Three U.S. Presidents have vacationed on Martha's Vineyard, Ulysses S. Grant, Bill Clinton and, most recently, Barack Obama stayed in Chilmark on the Blue Heron Farm.

In the television show The X-Files, Fox Mulder's parents live on Martha's Vineyard.

Today the Vineyard, as it is affectionately called, is a destination for some 60,000 tourists each summer keeping the 15,000 permanent residents busy and off the main roads during the summer season.

I couldn't resist making a slide show of some of my snaps of Martha's Vineyard. I hope you enjoy it.

Sunday, June 03, 2018

Over the holiday weekend Costco had Dungeness crabs as well as Alaskan King crab legs, two of my favorite things to eat. We usually make a salad or dip from the Dungeness crab, but this time I wanted to try something new. Peter generally doesn't care for crab cakes as all too often they are like "hockey pucks" so I did lots of research and found one recipe that I thought would work. And, it did. Crab cakes in which the crab is the star. Sweet crab, crisp crust and tart lemon - simple and divine. A side of Peter's remoulade was perfect.

When making the patties with your hands, the mixture will feel quite loose, not really cake-like. I found making the patties carefully and then chilling them over night, got them to hold together enough to make it to the pan.

There too, treat them gently. Make sure the skillet is hot when you add the patties and turning them using two spatulas is some good advice.

I found this recipe on Food52 and one commenter said that she "ate a few of them just as is, right out of the pan, with a generous squeeze of lemon, and just for fun, stuffed a few more into a good bun along with some curls of red onion, then slathered on my sister's famous tartar sauce." This is all good.

Dungeness Crab Cakes(Makes 4-5 large crab cakes or 8 small),

1 pound Dungeness crabmeat (or jumbo lump or blacken blue crabmeat, "preferably from Maryland" wrote the Maryland-native author of the recipe) 1 large egg1/4 cup panko or fresh breadcrumbs2 tablespoons mayonnaise, homemade is best but Hellman's will do in a pinch1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning, more or less to taste1 teaspoon dry mustard1 pinch of sea salt1 tablespoon unsalted butter1 tablespoon canola oilLemon wedges for serving.=======================================

Pick through crabmeat and discard any shells, careful not to break up those lovely clumps that you paid so dearly for.

In a large bowl, beat egg. Fold in mayo, parsley, panko, mustard, Old Bay, and salt.

GENTLY fold in crab, use your hands, keeping those lumps intact. The mixture will likely be loose, but that’s okay. Shape into patties. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

Heat butter and oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Gently add the patties and sauté for about three minutes on each side or until they’re brown. Use two spatulas to flip them. Even if they fall apart, they still taste amazing.